Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Colorado: Mt. Princeton, The 14'er - Aug 8

Cliff and Whitney are the major hikers/climbers in the family. Whitney's goal is to climb all the 14'ers in Colorado, eventually climbing Mt. Whitney in California, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mt. Denali in Alaska. Whitney is fearless....she get's that from Cliff and she's adventurous....she get's that from me and Cliff. So when she sets her mind to something, there's no changing it.

Whitney and Cliff planned to hike up Mt. Princeton, elevation 14, 197 feet. But, she wanted to summit as day was breaking. Wha? That means they had to leave Dillon at 12:30 a.m. this morning and drive for a couple of hours to get to the trail head. That, also, means they would be climbing/hiking in pitch black dark. I was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rockers. I tried to talk them out of it, but they wouldn't budge.

They started climbing around 3 a.m. with headlamps. Cliff's went out not long into the climb and had to resort to using the flashlight on his phone. I'm not sure if Whitney knew what the terrain would be like, but Cliff described it as nothing but rocks. He said that made it difficult to hike because you had no where to rest your foot except for on top of the rocks and he had to tense his feet and ankles to stay on top. It took them 3:40 hours to summit...and arrived just as day was breaking. Good timing on their part. And, needless to say, I was so relieved when I got a text from them that they were on top. The pictures below were taken by Whitney.

Total miles hiked/climbed: 6.75 Total time: 7 hours

Elevation 14, 197'

Number of 14'ers for Whitney: 19

Number of 14'ers for Cliff: 3

The sign I painted for Whitney, in watercolor.

Whitney's post on Facebook.

The following were taken by Whitney. Hard to see, yes...because they were taken before sunrise and just after.

Whitney with her #19 sign.

Cliff

How wonderful it must have felt to be on top of the world watching the sun rise!

This was probably taken on their descent...notice how rocky. I would never have made it.

Whitney said, "This little fatty wanted some food!"

Screen shot from my phone of Whitney and Cliff on top of Mt. Princeton.

Taken from the Find My Friends app.

A scaled out view.

Glorious!!!

*****

While Cliff and Whitney were out hiking, Emily, the children and I took a ride through the countryside...one of my favorite things to do. We drove through Silverthorne to the Ute Pass Rd. The views were phenomenal! Here are a few.....

Thanks, Betsy! I'm not so sure that was a Freudian slip. More like a finger slip. HaHa! Then again, who knows...the subconscious does it's own thing sometimes. But, on pins and needles....yes, I was! Lol!

It would have been a thrill to have made the hike that your hubby and daughter did, but I might have opted for your scenic drive! Methinks they were very lucky to have made that hike up in the dark over that terribly rocky terrain . . . and not to have sustained a twisted ankle or fall and cut knee! Good thing they're both in good shape!

That's one of those hikes that when it's over, you're glad you did it. But during the throes of it, you're praying like there's no tomorrow. They are lucky indeed that they didn't have an accident. Well, maybe NOT luck. I prayed a long time for them.